Permanent Road Division (PRD)

The County may also maintain roads that are within a "Permanent Road Division" ["PRD"; see Streets and Highways Code sections 1160-1197] but are not within the "county-maintained mileage system". Formation may be initiated by petition of landowners, or by resolution of the County Board of Supervisors. The PRD is most appropriate for limited geographic areas.
In a PRD, road maintenance is funded by the owners benefitting from the road. Formation cannot occur without the approval of a special tax (by two-thirds vote of registered voters) or parcel charge (by majority vote of landowners casting ballots weighted according to benefits to parcels). Approval of a special tax follows the requirements of Proposition 218. These revenue measures will contain cost-of-living escalators to ensure continuous adequate funding of routine maintenance and long-term asphalt rehabilitation.

Substandard Roads

The County will not maintain substandard, unsafe roads. Therefore, roads must also be brought up to current road standards (check with DPW for the criteria applicable to your road). Where roads do not currently meet County standards, the County will consider a PRD formation if the owners agree to an initial, higher tax or charge. These additional revenues, which can be spread up to a 5-year period, will be used by the County to bring the road up to County standards. At that point, the assessments will adjust to reflect only regular maintenance costs, and the County can begin regular maintenance of the road.

Taxes/Charges

A special tax or parcel charge is generally collected through the annual payment of property taxes. The revenue covers all the costs incurred by the County, including maintenance, rehabilitation, engineering, administration, overhead, and liability insurance.